PicoBlog

The audience is always right

If they don’t laugh it’s not their fault, no matter the situation. If you’re just telling a joke to one person and they don’t laugh… they’re right. Maybe you said it wrong. Maybe they were offended or concerned that others would be offended. Perhaps they’re the wrong audience. But you’re the one who chose to tell the joke, so their reaction is always right. It’s best to avoid getting frustrated with a reaction you didn’t want. It’s ultimately your fault.

People actually like puns

In my experience, puns can get a GREAT laugh. It’s just that it’s also fun to point out the stupidity of puns. But also, it’s a spectrum. Some puns are better than others and they can be overused. But it shouldn’t be a rule to never use puns. I love puns, goddamnit.

Everyone has a “weird” sense of humor (therefore no one does)

Okay, certainly some senses of humor are weirder than others, but I think it’s more common for people to say they have a weird sense of humor than not.

Therefore, just be you. Be out there. I find that the weirder the things I say, the more people respond to them.

People don’t care if you laugh at your own jokes (if you actually think they’re funny)

It’s always a rule of thumb that a good comedian doesn’t laugh at their own jokes. But watch stand-up. They ALL laugh at their jokes all the time. Often I think the laughter is built into the joke.

The problem is if you’re laughing when you don’t really believe it. Or you’re the only one laughing.

Don’t over-explain

I find it best to leave lots of things a mystery. If I’m referencing something obscure I don’t necessarily need to explain what it is. It will likely still be funny. Often what makes a joke funny is its terseness. Timing is everything. If you bog down a joke by being overly wordy, you’ve lost.

And for god’s sake, don’t explain WHY something is funny. If you tell a joke and it doesn’t land, too late. You missed your opportunity. Try something else next time.

Don’t under-explain

Something that Chris Rock said always stuck with me. The most important part of the joke is the premise, not the punchline.

It’s tricky to find the right amount of explanation without overdoing it, but you do NEED an explanation to make sure everyone’s on the same page before you land the punchline.

Often you may think the joke didn’t work because you screwed up the punchline, but I bet more often than not you just didn’t set it up right.

I also apply this to all storytelling. I think great turns in stories only work if everything else is set up properly first.

Don’t be too mean

This is also a common mistake (that I’ve shamefully made in the past). It’s really easy to fall into mean humor because it feels more intense, and therefore, more funny.

And also, most comedy seems to be about making fun of someone or something. But you can go overboard.

Overly mean humor is only funny to certain audiences with certain targets (and probably not audiences you want to have, hopefully).

And often it’s just not as funny as you think it is. Jokes generally tell you more about the joke-teller than whatever they’re joking about. Do you want to be known as a mean person?

Don’t just rehash jokes you heard

This has been something I’ve been good about my whole life. I used to hate hearing my friends tell jokes they heard on TV and in movies as if they were their own. (I usually caught them because I watched A LOT of TV and movies.)

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, I guess. But I think I was able to hone my comedy skills throughout my life by constantly just trying to make up my own stuff.

Just make your own stuff. Rehashing jokes is just boring, to me at least.

The delivery might be wrong

Okay, so maybe it ISN’T the premise. Maybe you screwed up the delivery. Sometimes it comes down to the exact wording. Little changes in syntax can make all the difference. Here’s a classic from Mitch Hedberg

”I used to do drugs…. I still do, but I used to, too”

Hilarious joke (though also tragic, comedy is funny that way)

Anyway, I think about the wording of this joke a lot. The “I still do, but I used to, too” just has a great, sing-songy sound to it. And it’s a weird way to say it.

”used to, too” is just funny by itself.

He could’ve said, “I still do, but I did before, also,” And it’s not nearly as funny.

Don’t joke all the time

If you’re just a jokester ALL THE TIME it will annoy people. And jokes are funnier when they’re unexpected.